In a harrowing revelation Wednesday, the Quebec coroner’s inquiry heard that a Montreal mother and her children were stalked by her estranged spouse in the months leading up to their tragic deaths in December 2019.
Dahia Khellaf, 42, and her two sons, Adam, 4, and Aksil, 2, were allegedly strangled to death by 46-year-old Nabil Yssaad. The events took a darker turn when Yssaad, in what appeared to be a state of profound despair, took his own life by jumping from a hospital window a day prior to the discovery of the bodies in the family’s eastern Montreal residence.
A chilling testimony from Najla Ben Ammar, a former work colleague of Khellaf, gave a deeper insight into the tumultuous relationship between the couple. “He was stalking her,” she revealed. Khellaf reported continuous surveillance by Yssaad, such as the consistent clearing of snow from her car and frequent sightings of him around her workplace and home, despite a court injunction barring any form of contact.
“She was always worried because he was someone who was not stable,” Ben Ammar noted. Khellaf’s apprehensions seemed justified on her last day alive, when she hauntingly walked by Ben Ammar’s office and made a strangling motion, signaling the threats she faced. The two planned a phone conversation later that night, but it tragically never occurred. Khellaf’s absence at work the next day raised Ben Ammar’s concerns, but the worst was confirmed when she learned of the deaths via a news report.
The investigation shed light on the strained dynamics of the couple, particularly concerning the custody of their children. The couple had parted ways some months prior, with Khellaf vying for full custody of the kids while Yssaad was pressing for joint custody. Ben Ammar indicated that Yssaad suspected Khellaf of seeing someone else and was deeply concerned about potentially losing his children. Khellaf’s ominous words to Ben Ammar: “the war had begun” underline the escalating tensions.
The inquiry further revealed that Khellaf had previously sought professional help, opting to speak to a psychologist through her employer’s assistance program following marital troubles. In 2018, she had even filed a police complaint against Yssaad for two alleged incidents of domestic violence which led to assault charges against him. However, she expressed a desire for his mental health evaluation and did not wish to testify, leading to a peace bond to keep Yssaad away. Shockingly, just five days post the signing of this bond and subsequent dropping of charges, the alleged murders occurred.
Events took an even more sinister turn on Dec. 10, when Yssaad purportedly stole Khellaf’s vehicle, journeying to Joliette, Que., where he ended his life. Police, attempting to confirm Yssaad’s identity, visited the family home but found it eerily quiet. The tragic discovery of the bodies only happened the subsequent morning.
Presiding over this heart-wrenching inquiry is Coroner Andrée Kronström in Joliette, Que. The proceedings aim to unravel the truth behind this tragic incident, providing some semblance of closure to those affected.
